IT’S CARNAGE
Trouble on and off the pitch but 10-man Brighton rock Palace
CARNAGE off the pitch, utter chaos on it. The hatred between rival supporters turned violent before kick- off with clashes in Brighton city centre.
A few miles away in Falmer, further pandemonium ensued at the ground. The good kind, though.
Brighton loved it. Crystal Palace less so as goals from Glenn Murray, Leon Balogun and Florin Andone secured victory for the Seagulls against the club they love to hate.
After being handed the freedom of Croydon on Monday night, this was quite a comedown for Palace boss Roy Hodgson.
Brighton’s supporters should be calling for their manager Chris Hughton to be given a similar honour, especially as his side played 62 minutes with 10 men after Shane Duffy was sent off for headbutting Patrick van Aanholt.
‘It was one of the most special nights, certainly one of my proudest wins,’ Hughton admitted.
News of fans fighting had filtered into the Amex Stadium before the start, but the game didn’t disappoint. Four goals, a dubious penalty, a straight red card and a player scoring with his first touch after coming on as substitute.
The M23 derby might not be the most prestigious — but try telling that to the teams who served up this enthralling match.
After a slow start, the game exploded in the 24th minute when Brighton — with help from referee Kevin Friend — took the lead. Why Friend pointed to the spot after Jose Izquierdo fell under James McArthur’s challenge will remain a mystery. You didn’t need a replay to confirm that McArthur got a touch.
But Hodgson was typically magnanimous despite the glaring injustice. ‘It’s a fact of life, something we have to deal with. The result is the result,’ he said. Yet it was trouble of Palace’s own making, Luka Milivojevic and Aaron Wan-Bissaka jumping for the same ball to leave McArthur exposed.
Glenn Murray scored from the spot, striking home off the underside of the bar.
Brighton’s failed penalty shout moments later looked more substantial, James Tomkins recklessly careering into Murray.
The hosts were convinced they should have had another spotkick, Duffy stupidly taking his anger out on Van Aanholt with a headbutt.
The Palace defender crashed to the floor, but his amateur dramatics were unnecessary — Friend had already pulled out a red card.
Then from the resulting corner Brighton doubled their lead. Hughton sacrificed Pascal Gross, replacing him with central defender Leon Balogun after Duffy’s sending-off. And Balogun took only 25 seconds to make an impact, scoring with his very first touch from Solly March’s flicked corner.
Murray’s night was cut short in the 35th minute when he was replaced by Andone with a shoulder injury sustained in his earlier collision with Tomkins.
Andone followed Balogun’s example. Tomkins looked to have the substitute hemmed in on the touchline, but he sped past the leaden-footed Tomkins before guiding the ball past Wayne Hennessey on the stroke of half-time.
Milivojevic reduced the deficit from the spot nine minutes from time. But after the violence before the game, thankfully we left talking about football.
BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION (4-5-1): Ryan 6.5; Montoya 7, Duffy 3, DUNK 8, Bernardo 7; March 7, Gross 6.5 (Balogun 31min, 7.5), Propper 7, Bissouma 7, Izquierdo 6 (Knockaert 49, 6); Murray 7 (Andone 35, 7.5). Subs not used: Bong, Kayal, Locadia, Steele. Scorers: Murray 24 pen, Balogun 31, Andone 45+4. Booked: Bernardo, Bissouma. Sent off: Duffy 28. Manager: Chris Hughton 8. CRYSTAL PALACE (4-4-2): Hennessey 5; Wan-Bissaka 5, Tomkins 4, Sakho 5, Van Aanholt 5.5; McArthur 5 (Schlupp 73, 6), Milivojevic 6, Kouyate 5.5 (Sorloth 58, 5), Meyer 6; Townsend 6, Zaha 6. Subs not used: Ward, J Ayew, Guaita, Kelly, Puncheon. Scorer: Milivojevic 81 pen. Booked: Tomkins, Zaha, Milivojevic. Manager: Roy Hodgson 6. Referee: Kevin Friend 4. Attendance: 29,663.